Playoff football. Was supposed to be the Packers playing this evening in a fairytale, but real life is anything but. Happy endings are for Asian massages and Hollywood movies. Part of being an adult is learning that lesson over and over again until you accept that most times things just don’t go your way. I have learned this lesson the hard way, but lucky for me I’m a forever optimist. That doesn’t mean I have I have naive smile on my face 24/7, but it does mean I’m willing to give life another shot to be awesome every single day. It also means manifesting your own awesomeness to combat the forces around you trying to take your happy ending.
I travel a lot covering the Carolinas for my business. I enjoy it and when I’m on the road there is no quit at 5 PM. I mean I could, but that seems silly to me. Most people are gone during the day and get home around 5 PM so I usually make appointments with them in the late evening to do deliveries or evaluations. I am blessed to represent some amazing companies that make high end products making peoples lives easier and more fulfilling. I use some of these products, I love them, and I have the ability to talk with someone for 5 minutes while looking at their environment to tell them exactly what would help them the best. I know because I’ve done it all.
This last week was no different. I did an eval with a wonderful lady for the VA and then dropped a shower chair off with a Veteran and his spouse/caregiver at their home. The wife came out and helped me get the chair out of the back of my van and then we took it inside for some training. Of course Annabel made her presence known, but had to wait in the car for this delivery. The family had three little yappi dogs inside that make a lot of noise. I do the training and with the clock hitting about 7 pm I was ready to get to my hotel room for the night. The spouse follows me outside as it is clear she is lonely and it is nice to have someone to talk with. Her husband of 40 plus years has ALS and it is pretty far along. That disease is horrible. Just horrible.
I’m tired though. Annie got herself out of the van and of course had a frisbee in her mouth. My new friend is throwing the frisbee 5 ft and of course Annabel is happy to get it over and over and over and over…. I’m annoyed. I was thinking this was the 1-2 minute chat that lead to the goodbye, call me if you have questions, and have a nice night talk. The lady apologized for playing with Annie and I said “it’s okay” even though I didn’t mean it. My body language was all leave me alone. I’m watching her throw the frisbee and she had this incredible genuine smile. I stared at it and my life instantly changed. Thank goodness because I was on the wrong path. That smile fixed me even though I didn’t know I was broken. Truth is like many of you, I was very broken.
This lady, fellow human, and complete stranger needed me and Annie that night. Annabel was up to the task, but my dumb butt missed all the signs. The smile snapped me out of it. I thought to myself, “ What is your problem?? Let her play with Annie and have a moment.” My body language instantly changed. I was Bucky again. My smile became genuine as I gave her tips on how to throw it farther and to throw it away from Annie so she has to chase it down. She went from saying “I’m sorry” to “this is the best day I’ve had in a long time.” Think about that. My crabby butt almost stole this great moment from a very kind woman that simply needed a break from the monotonous daily routine she had fallen into. Caring for an ALS patient isn’t easy and I can only imagine how hard it is when that patient is your husband/loved one. At her age trying to lift a man out of bed, into his chair, onto toilets, shower chairs, and everything else takes a toll.
I watched her start laughing and having real fun. Annabel played her role perfectly like usual. I got on board, grabbed a water bottle, and put out a water bowl knowing this is where I am supposed to be for now. Out of everything that happened this last week, I’m most proud of this moment, the one I didn’t want. You don’t have to wear a cape to be a hero to someone. You can change the world in a few minutes by simply being more selfless with your time. You aren’t that busy. You aren’t that important unless you are a brain surgeon and your patient is about to die. If that is the case you should probably get going.
I share these moments to remind myself and hopefully get you to think differently when you’re out there in the world. Small moments can create big happiness. What more can you ask for?? Allowing a lonely person to play frisbee with Annie took no real effort on my part, but it did have an large impact on this woman’s life. That is a win.
Love Who You Are Today, Tomorrow Is Not Guaranteed.
I love you all and appreciate everyone that reads this. Your text messages, comments, and the rest mean so much to me. I put all of who I am in these blogs so it is nice to hear when people appreciate the messages, enjoy reading them, and then let me know. The best way to support is share the blogs, subscribe to have them emailed to you directly, and most importantly think about how you can make one moment a day better. Just one. Then watch your world begin to change.
FknBucky
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FknBucky 